A World Without Towing: How To Push A Car

As hard as it is for me to imagine such a thing, let’s examine a world where commercial and residential towing services in northeast Florida didn’t exist. Heck, even the whole world!
Would you know how to push a car if your engine won’t start but you need to move your car? Now that you’ve lost your best rated towing company in Jacksonville, will you be stranded?
Those of you young and foolish enough to jump up and say “Yes, I can push it!” have a hard lesson coming to you. For starters, it takes at least two people to push a car.
So if you find yourself without a tow, either because you’ve ended up on this alien world we’re imaging or, more likely, you’re on the side of an empty road with a dead cellphone battery, here’s how to properly push a car.

It Takes Two

I know men like to think of things in terms of brute force, but, fellas, pushing a car alone just cannot be done alone. Sure, you might scoot the vehicle forwards, but to move a vehicle any great distance you need two people.

One person is required to sit in the driver’s seat for steering and breaks while the other person, obviously, has to push. The reason why you still need a driver when pushing a car is that cars are a lot less controllable with the engine off due to power-assisted steering and breaking. Having someone to sit up front and control the vehicle means you’re not going to damage anyone or anything.

Alert Other Drivers

Let’s hope someone would stop to help you, but if they don’t you need to at least make them aware of your presence.
In your roadside emergency kit that you should always have prepared in your car, include a high visibility jacket like construction workers wear for nighttime emergencies. And, don’t forget to turn your vehicle’s hazard warning lights to warn other drivers, too.

Put The Car In Neutral

Especially in automatic cars, putting your car in neutral will prevent damage to the engine, transmission and other pieces of your car. Make sure you have it switched out of drive or park before attempting to move the car.
After that short checklist, you’re ready to go. Pushing the car by simply rolling the tires can be easiest depending on your car, but play around with your grip and positioning to find out the best place to move your car. Sometimes opening one of the car doors and allows you to get a better angle on pushing the weight of the car through the interior.

Tagged with: Car Stuck, Stuck In Sand, towing

Most Famous Cars Sold At Auction

As one of the best car auction companies in northeast Florida, we know what makes a car sell for a high value. There’s a combination of factors that will determine how much a car will sell for, such as maintenance records and visible condition, but one thing can make them sell for even more: fame.

To show you what we mean, let’s take a look at some of the most famous cars ever to be sold through a car auction:

Movie Cars

Almost nothing makes a car more famous than seeing it on the big, silver screen. So how well do the Hollywood vehicles sell?

Some of the most famous vehicles come from the same franchise. James Bond and his inventive left-hand man known only as his code name, Q, have been building, driving and blowing up some of the most famous cars to date.

When Sean Connery was James Bond, the 1964 DB5 from Aston Martin made it into two movies. Of course, what appeared on screen was laced with machine guns, missiles and oil slicks to help you get the bad guy.

Initially sold to a private buyer for a mere $12,000, this car later was then sold at an auction in London in 2010 for 4.6-million dollars. Missiles not included.

TV Cars

Only one man has the money and secret technology required to challenge James Bond for most famous cars: Batman.

Batman’s Batmobile is one of the most famous cars of all times, but not just any Batmobile, the original version from the 1966 TV sitcom starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin.

Originally a 1955 Lincoln concept car, it was quickly adapted to the caped crusader’s needs to fight crime on the fly. Though almost every Batman TV show or movie has spawned their own version of the Batmobile, nothing is as iconic and defining as the original version pictured above.

This Batmobile sold for 4.62-million dollars in 2013.

John Lennon’s Rolls-Royce

No mystery here, just a story of fame and misfortune.

With the wealth and fame enjoyed by being a member of The Beatles, John Lennon bought a Rolls-Royce Phantom V in 1965. Not happy with the black color of the car and being a cultural icon of psychedelic rock, James had artist Steve Weaver design something more impressive.

Under pressure from the IRS, Lennon was forced to donate the car in 1977 in exchange for a tax credit. The museum to which he donated this one-of-a-kind car then auctioned the car in 1985 for 2.29-million dollars.

But, don’t let these cars intimidate you. You don’t need a car with a unique paint job or lasers to do well at a car auction. Having a regular maintenance history and a car that looks and runs well is much more important.

For more tips on how to sell your cars at an auction or to find out about our next car auction, give ASAP Towing a call at 904-771-0790.

ASAP is the #1 car auction company in Florida

Stop by any one of our locations or see our inventory online to see what we have for sale.

Do You Need Special Tires In Florida?

Here in Jacksonville, Florida, we joke about getting snow each winter, but do you ever think that means you need actual snow tires for your car?
It’s an interesting question, and one we’ll discuss in today’s article. If you can’t answer it in confidence, come check out the facts with us below.

Tire Types

Now, tires aren’t just limited to all-season tires and snow tires like you might think. There are actually types such as touring tires, high-performance tires, rally tires and many more. There’s essentially a different type of tire for just about any activity you might be doing in a car.

Luckily, the tire name pretty much tells you exactly what they do, so the lingo is easy to pick up. Snow tires, for example, help you drive better in the snow. Touring tires are designed for smooth, quiet rides and are named for “grand tours,” or long road trips in vehicles, where you want comfort above all else. For our towing services throughout northeast Florida, we need a more heavy duty tire to help move the cars we lift and haul every day.

If you don’t remember asking for a specific type of tire when you last bought a set, or if you’re not sure what are on your car, most likely you have all-season tires. As the name suggests, these tires are the jack of all trades designed with water channels for wet roads but harder rubber to survive hot roads in the summer.

So Which Type Do I Need?

Like so many things cars, the answer is “it depends.” Our original question that brought us here was about snow tires, so let’s look at that first.
Though snow tires are named after the cold, white substance, they’re actually designed more for just wet roads and helping you with traction on wet roads. For actual snow, you put chains around your tire that help dig into the fluffy white powder.

When you start to think about snow tires as just “wet” tires or “water” tires, they start to make more sense. Florida, lightening capital of the United States, has a rainy season every summer that lasts anywhere between 2 and 5 months when the road is going to be slippery every day.
In that context, tires that help you grip could be worth it if you’re in one of the heavier-rainfall areas; the only problem is that snow (or water) tires aren’t designed with heat in mind. And in the summer when it rains, it’s also beating down the heat on the road.

Could they be helpful? Absolutely. If you notice your car hydroplaning a lot the specially designed tires could help move that water around your wheel in a safer, more secure way. But, if you’re putting 200+ miles on tires every summer day on a tire not built for it, there’s an increased chance of blowouts as you wear the rubber out faster.
It’s a conversation worth having with your mechanic or automobile dealership to get the best tire for your needs, but always remember, if your tire fails and you’re stranded on the road, ASAP Towing is just a phone call away!

ASAP Is A Reputable Towing Company

We are the #1 rated and most widely used towing company in North-east Florida.
Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Snow Tires, Tires

Worst Times To Drive This Holiday Season

As the year ends, people often celebrate with long journeys across the country to connect with distant family and friends for a few joyous days. But, those journeys can be fraught with peril if you’re unprepared for the holiday travel season.

Remember, November and December have days like Thanksgiving and Christmas where nearly everyone travels on the road or by air to somewhere else to see someone they know. This is not just an ordinary day of travel.

Driving Around Thanksgiving

Research and experience from past years suggest that we like to procrastinate, which means the best time to drive around Thanksgiving is early or on the day itself.
The majority of Thanksgiving week traffic happens the Tuesday and Wednesday before the actual holiday. Due to work hours, family needs and sheer dislike of traffic jams, the majority of Americans wait to travel at the very last minute before the holiday.

Past years have also shown that the most traveled holiday period of the year is Thanksgiving weekend, so avoid driving home right away.
To beat the heavy flow of traffic around Thanksgiving, travel early and stay at your destination long. If that’s not an option, driving on Thanksgiving Day is your best plan. The morning and afternoon are often quiet while traffic begins to pick up again in the evening.

Driving Around Christmas And New Years

Christmas and New Years are historically some of the worst times to drive. While both are heavy periods of travel in the sky and on the road, these two holidays are also a heavy period of alcohol-related crashes.

If you are going to drive, stick to an early schedule. As the days go on, so do the amount of fatal crashes. Avoid the “eves”—Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Both of these two nights see heavy crashes across the nation due to inattentive drivers.
If the unfortunate does happen and you end up stuck on the highway with us here in northeast Florida, give ASAP Towing a call. We know accidents don’t take a day off, and neither do we. We’ll be here 24 hours helping those in Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Florida.

ASAP wants you to be safe during the holidays

Be safe. Be happy and have a good time. If you have any trouble don’t hesitate to call the best towing company in North Florida.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Christmas, Holiday Travel, Thanksgiving

Tips for Trips: Take Care of Your Car During Holiday Travels

It’s about that time of the year again. Yes, we’re talking about the holidays, but let’s focus on how they affect your car.

Thanksgiving and Christmas season mean long car trips for lots of people, and those miles quickly add up to unexpected wear and tear on your car. If you live in northeast Florida and go to visit family members in southwest Florida, that’s an extra 500 miles on your car, and you’re doing it twice or even three times from November through January. That’s 1,500 extra miles on your car!

Is your vehicle ready for those long miles? Though ASAP Towing is a 24-hour towing service in Jacksonville and St. Augustine, that doesn’t mean we want to get those midnight calls from you when you break down on Christmas Eve!

Here’s a quick checklist of things you can do to make sure you’re ready for any holiday car trips:

Fuel

If you’re driving somewhere cold, you don’t have the luxury of Florida keeping your fuel warm anymore. Cold fuel makes an engine hard to start, and if it gets cold enough you’ll have frozen fuel in your lines. Yikes!

Pick up some fuel deicer and keep it in your car if you’re planning on visiting the frozen north this winter. Just remember, use it preventively. It won’t do much if your fuel is already frozen, but it will keep you from ever having it freeze in the first place.

Windshield Wipers

You’re probably expecting something like snow tires to be on this list, but surprise! Windshield wipers are more needed in day-to-day driving anyway.

Having a fresh pair of wipers, especially rubber-clad or winter wiper blades if you’ll be in a cold environment, can keep your eyes on the road where they’re supposed to be.

If you can’t remember the last time you replaced your wipers, now is the time. When you can see in the middle of a rain or snow storm while driving home, you’ll be thankful you did.

Lights

Cold winters come with long, dark nights, and you can prepare for both by making sure the lights on your car are working properly.

Not only are lights required to have by law on the road, but imagine if you do break down on the road. You want your hazard lights in working condition to notify other drivers you’re stopped and need a hand!

Make sure you’re prepared for holiday travel plans before setting off. Your car might be able to work fine in Jacksonville or St. Augustine, but when you start traveling for the holidays you don’t know how your car will react!

ASAP wants you to be safe during the holidays

Be safe. Be happy and have a good time. If you have any trouble don’t hesitate to call the best towing company in North Florida.

Important Towing Laws For Jacksonville, Part 3

Getting out of a parking ticket in Jacksonville, FL can be tough but doable if you know the law! Join us in the final installment of our series on important towing laws for Duval County to make sure you know what you can and can’t do in the face of the law.

But why trust us? We’ve been in northeast Florida since 1995 and grown to provide towing service in Jacksonville all the way through southern St. Augustine. No one knows the rules like we do!

If you haven’t already, be sure to read up on part 1 and part 2 of this series to learn more about how the towing ordinance in Jacksonville can work for you, not against you.

Let’s Talk Money

You hear it in the news all the time: people get charged outrageous fees and prices for having their car towed in some horrible scam. But, did you know tow rates are actually included in Jacksonville’s towing ordinance?

That’s right, what a tow company can legally charge you for their services, even if you car was removed due to a parking violation, is lawfully set to a maximum rate. The only scaling costs is based on how far they might have to tow your car (which, if you remember from our previous articles, is set at a maximum of 10 miles from where the tow originates).

Section 804.1306—Establishment of Rates

If you want to read the entire Jacksonville towing ordinance, you can find it here on our website. But, here are the basics:

The tow rate is determined by vehicle classes and set to a maximum rate.

Class A vehicles: $91.73 plus $2.62 a mile

Class B vehicles: $104.83 plus $3.28 per mile

Class C vehicles: $375.00 with no mileage charges

Likewise, the maximum storage rate of vehicles is determined by their class. Impounded vehicles in Jacksonville cannot be charged for the first six hours of their storage, but after that the rates are as follows:

Class A vehicles: $19.65 a day

Class B vehicles: $26.20 a day

Class C vehicles: $32.76 for semi-tractors and $45.84 for semi-trailers per day

Which Vehicle Class Am I?

As you now know, the rates for impounded vehicles and their trip to storage is determined by vehicle class, but which class do you fall in?

If you’re a regular citizen, most likely your class is Class A. These are normal-sized cars, trucks and vans up to 10,000 pounds. Some of your bigger trucks and box cans fall into Class B, which is anything between 10,001 and 19,500 pounds. Finally for RVs, semi-trucks and the heavy-duty vehicles, there’s Class C which is any vehicle more than 19,500 pounds.

So now you know what class of car you have and the absolute maximum you can be charged in towing and storage fees in Jacksonville, Florida. With that information, you’ll never be overcharged in a towing scam again!

ASAP Towing has the tools and trucks for any job

ASAP Towing uses safe equipment and uses safe practices to tow your car or boat with any type of truck.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Jacksonville, Jacksonville Law, towing, Towing Laws

Important Towing Laws For Jacksonville, Part 2

If you’re just joining us, we’re taking a look at the law of the land when it comes to towing illegally parked vehicles in Jacksonville, Florida.

If you’re outside of Jacksonville, such as St. Augustine or other northeastern parts of Florida, please keep in mind that your local city ordinance might have different rules than what we’re about to discuss. While these articles can give you a good idea of general towing laws, always check with your local city for their exact set of rules.

Don’t forget, you can view the entire city ordinance at any time on our website.

In part one of this series on towing laws for Jacksonville, we discovered that a property owner has to have a written agreement with a towing company on file with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office before they can tow your car.

For part two, we’re taking a look at Jacksonville city ordinance section 804.1305, titled “return of owner prior to tow.” We’re going to clear up some facts about what you can do to stop your car from being towed even after the tow truck shows up.

Hey! That’s My Car!

You’ve probably seen in movies or TV shows a scene where a driver comes out to find their car being hooked up by a tow truck operator. The operator almost always says “Sorry, there’s nothing I can do” and takes the car away. But, is there really nothing they can do?

According to section 804.1305, there is a way to get your car back! It states, and for the sake of your boredom I’m paraphrasing here, that no towing service shall tow a vehicle or charge for its services when the owner arrives at the scene unless the owner refuses to move their car or the car has already been connected to the tow truck.

So, if you’re going to park illegally, make sure you get back to your car quickly to save the charge! As long as you catch them in the act, you can get your car back.

But What If It’s Connected?

If you read the aforementioned unless line carefully, you’ll see that stopping the tow is tough if it’s in progress, and by that I mean your car is already chained to the tow truck ready to be moved or worse.

But, there’s still good news. Even if your vehicle is chained to the tow truck but the tow driver hasn’t set off, you can still get your car back for a cost.

The rest of the ordinance states that if the vehicle has been connected the owner can pay a service fee of no more than one-half of the normal tow rate to get it back. Also, the tow truck operator must wait a minimum of 30 minutes to let the vehicle owner to secure cash for that payment if they only accept cash as a payment.

So there you have it! If you come out of the shops to find your car being towed, you have some room for recourse, and don’t let any tow company in Duval County tell you otherwise!

ASAP Is A Reputable Towing Company

We are the #1 rated and most widely used towing company in North-east Florida.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Jacksonville, towing, Towing Laws

Important Towing Laws For Jacksonville, Part 1

Towing a car, as you can imagine, is a heavily documented process. Someone cannot simply show up and move your several-thousand dollar car without following a precise set of rules.

While many of those rules and laws are written in the convoluted way most laws are, some of them are surprisingly simple to understand.

Having a basic understanding of some of the key points in the Jacksonville, FL towing process can save you headaches, big bucks and hopefully get your car back when it has been taken, so let’s learn!

What To Know

What we want to know are rules in the Jacksonville city ordinance (ordinance section 804.1303 to be exact) that you can use to protect yourself from scams, illegal tows and any other kind of program designed to separate you from your hard-earned cash.

While there are many fine points in the city ordinance pertaining to what you can and can’t do to tow a car, you don’t need to know all of them. What you should know are these fine points:

The Police Have To Know

The first section of the Jacksonville city towing ordinance states that “prior to the trespass towing of any vehicle, the property owner of the real property and the towing service shall have executed a written agreement which shall at a minimum contain the following provisions.”

Then it lists a lot of provisions such as address of the property, duration of the agreement and several other common sense things you don’t need to worry about.

What you should know is that further down, the ordinance states that “prior to the trespass towing of any vehicle, a copy of the executed agreement described above shall be filed by the towing service with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Vehicle Storage and Recovery Unit.”

So, according to city law, the property owner trying to move your car has to have a written agreement with the towing company they’ve hired and that written agreement has to be filed ahead of time with the police.

Now the next time you find your car has been moved, before you pay anyone some sort of fee for your car or their services, verify with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office that they have a copy of the written agreement.

If they don’t, then the property owner had no legal right to move your car. Bad news for them, good news for you!

I Fought The Law… But I Won!

You can familiarize yourself with the rest of the city ordinance on our website, but we’ll be taking a look at other important parts over the coming weeks to make sure you, as the consumer, are protected against any towing violations.

In the meantime, feel free to look over the entire city ordinance on our website here. And if you have any questions about towing, be sure to give us a call at 904-771-0790!

ASAP Is A Reputable Towing Company

We are the #1 rated and most widely used towing company in North-east Florida.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: ASAP Towing, towing, Towing Laws

Here’s How to Tow a Boat

If there’s one thing north Florida is famous for, it’s our oceans. With all that beautiful water, boats are almost as common on the cars, even on the road!

That’s right, boats have to get to the water somehow, so seeing them being towed or pulled with a trailer down the road is a common sight!

What’s it take to move boat? Let’s find out.

Getting To A Boat Ramp

Boat ramps are the most popular way of getting your privately owned vehicle in the water, but how do you get it there? And, more importantly, how do you get it in the water?

With your destination in mind, how are you going to get your boat there? A professional marine towing service can more your vehicle to the destination, but that might not be enough. Your goal here is to actually get your boat in the water, and our tow trucks aren’t waterproof!

Almost any boat you buy should come with a trailer to at least get the vehicle in the water. Not every trailer that comes with your boat is road legal, but for slowly putting your boat in the water via a ramp you should be okay.

Road Legal Boat Trailers

So what makes a boat trailer legal to take on the street? Well, there are a few rules.

Florida law regarding boat trailers mandate that they have proper lighting, including turn signals and brake lights. Also, those tow trailers must be equipped with safety chains and tie-down straps. (Duh! Always secure your cargo!)

That’s not all! For trailers weighing more than 3,000 lbs., they must have brakes that work on all wheels. Don’t forget to get your trailers registered and titled, too!

Just don’t forget to check everything before you leave! Boat trailers generally have a manual winch attached to help pull the boat into place, but that winch isn’t enough to keep the boat secure. Make sure you secure your ship to its trailer properly with other chains and ropes.

Other Options

Now you’ll find a lot of companies like Sea Tow that will help your boat if it gets stuck in the water, but what about if your boat is still stuck on land?

Towing a boat is no problem, in fact boat trailering and towing is a common practice of ours. It falls under the category of specialty towing. Specialty towing is also what we call it when we tow aircraft, motorcycles and just about anything you might think of as an unusual tow.

Think you have a job that would require a little special attention? Contact ASAP Towing today at 904-771-2790 so we can help with your unique towing needs!

ASAP Towing has the tools and trucks for any job

ASAP Towing uses safe equipment and uses safe practices to tow your car or boat with any type of truck.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Boat Towing, How To Tow A Boat, Towing A Boat

How Not To Tow A Motorcycle

I found these pictures online of a motorcycle being towed and instantly cringed. Can you see what’s wrong?

If you said something about the tow straps, you’re right! Take a look at those pictures and you’ll see an excellent example of what not to do when towing your dirt bike, motorcycle or other two-wheel vehicle. Let’s examine why.

Improper Tow Strap Placement

First, take a look at this picture in particular. What immediately jumps out are the tow straps around the forks, or the two large bars that connect the front wheel to the rest of the frame. The reason being is that those are easy to bend.

Bent forks mean misalignment, so your steering won’t have the impact you want. You’re more likely to spin out on a turn as your motorcycle under-steers or over-steers with a bad alignment.

Since the forks of a motorcycle are so easily bent, they are a bad spot for the high-tension tow straps. Remember, these straps are cranked and locked down to prevent any movement, so they are designed to tightly wrap around car parts. Delicate parts of the car and thin metals are easily damaged under stress, so in general they are bad places to put these straps.

In addition to putting tow straps on motorcycle forks, this picture shows tow straps on the side bars (also known as crash bars, engine guards or tip-over bars). Those bars are tubular pieces of metal that bolt onto the frame and attach to the motor, and they serve the purpose of protecting your leg, engine, paint and just about everything else that might scrape your motorcycle if you tip over or crash it.

The problem with placing towing motorcycles using the crash bars is that they’re rounded pieces of metal, meaning the tow strap has nothing secure to latch onto. During the course of a trip down a bumpy road, the strap can slowly begin to slide around on the angular side bar and lose all tension they had from their starting position. If that happens, they’re doing nothing to keep your bike upright!

Better Ways To Move Your Bike

If you’re using tow straps for a do-it yourself job, make sure to use the triple clamps (also known as the triple trees) as the anchor for your straps. The triple clamps are what hold the aforementioned fork in place and are much sturdier than the easily-bent motorcycle fork.

If you’re looking for roadside assistance for motorcycles, companies such as AAA offer excellent programs for members that cover locksmith services, limited towing and other needed services. It’s not cost-effective if you’re just looking for a one-time simple move, but if your main transportation is a motorcycle that you drive most every day, it can be worth it!

If you need something more local, don’t forget that ASAP Towing is experienced with every make and model of motorcycle and have six locations in the Jacksonville/St. Augustine area for quick response! Call us today and let’s discuss how we can help you.

Moving Your Car And Belongings? Here Are Your Options:

When you’re moving your car, belongings or anything else across a great distance, you have a few options. Do you hire a professional moving truck, rent a smaller vehicle you drive yourself or just use a trailer attached via a hitch?

Though the options are many, the solution is relatively easy to figure out based on a few factors. Are you looking for the cheapest option, or are you interested in the best protection for your vehicle and goods?

Hiring A Professional

Let’s assume you’re moving from state to state. You have a car you’re taking with you and an apartment-sized amount of furniture and goods.
Hiring a professional mover has the benefit of less work for you. Want to skip packing boxes and loading a truck? This is the way to go. If you have the money, this is the easiest way to move your belongings.

When it comes to moving your vehicle, most moving companies have extremely strict rules on moving it via a semi-truck. To load your car, you have to drain your gas tank completely before loading it to prevent any kind of fiery mishaps that might occur. That can be troublesome for a diesel, which requires you to bleed the system if the fuel runs dry (a lengthy and annoying process).

Renting A Truck

Renting a truck or moving van, such as the popular U-Haul rentals, is certainly an option for most anyone. It’s more affordable than hiring a full moving company in exchange for a little more work from you.

In terms of moving your vehicle, there is a slight problem. If you have rented a truck, you cannot drive both at one time. You’ll need a friend or family member to follow you along driving your car. But, that does present a choice you have to make:

When it comes to driving your car long distance, ask yourself if your car can take the stress. An 800-mile journey can take a toll on your car, and you need to account for the wear and tear it’ll cause on your tires, brakes, oil and other car parts.

If your car can’t handle the stress, especially if it’s already high in miles, hiring a tow truck to move your car locally or nationally is the better option to preserve your car. If you can’t do that, there is another option…

Hitching A Trailer

Renting a trailer allows you to move your own items attached to your own car. It’s a little less room than renting an entire truck for yourself, but you can attach it to your own car and move everything together at once.

Learn more about which hitch you need from our previous article.

If you want the best of both worlds, you could get a 2-wheel trailer and attach it to a rental truck so you can tow your car behind it. Of course, this does present the same problem of still causing wear and tear on your car by dragging it along. Also, not all cars can be towed like this, so be sure to check your vehicle’s manual for more information.

And, if you want to talk about towing your car throughout northeast Florida, give us a call at 904-771-0790.

ASAP Towing #1 used car sales at our auctions

ASAP Towing offers great deals and lots of variety in our used car inventory.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Moving, Towing Your Car

Towing Prices On The Rise?

An important part of any tow is price, and news from Tallahassee means that prices might be going up soon.

Tallahassee commissioners voted and approved to increase the maximum trespass tow fee from $88 to $110. This $22 bump was pushed by towing companies there who had gone 10 years without any change to the laws that determine what they can charge.
The towing companies argued that during those 10 years fuel insurance, labor and other operating costs they face have gone up substantially while the laws that dictate their costs have not.

In addition to the upped trespass fee (which means parking illegally or where you’re not supposed to park), Tallahassee has also increased the storage fee per-day for keeping cars and the administrative fees associated with mailing car owners, insurance companies and others informing them about the tow. All in all, your average towing cost in Florida’s capital city has gone up $44.

Now, that increase is local to the city of Tallahassee only as each city decides on towing ordinance for their area. But, could we see an increase in Jacksonville or St. Augustine towing costs?
You can look up Jacksonville’s municipal code online and look at the “establishment of rates” section yourself, but here are the highlights:

Our city’s trespassing tow fees are already higher than the $88 rate in Tallahassee when the issue was brought up and changed. Jacksonville is currently limited to $91.73 a mile, which isn’t much higher. So, we may be due for a change as well.
And with Tallahassee making the change, more cities are more likely to reevaluate their city’s rules and find they’re in need for a change.

So when do these towing laws change? Looking at the municipal code, all it says is that the ordinance can be amended “from time to time.” What that really means is that it’s up to the city and its citizens to bring up the issue, debate it and ultimately decide if the time is right.

Reading through this you might be upset at the thought of having more expensive tows, but keep a few things in mind:

Be glad that towing prices are set by the city. This is done to protect citizens like you from outrageous prices and hidden towing fees from less-than-reputable towing companies.

There is no guarantee that towing will increase in north Florida because of this, it’s just news from one city that could affect others.

How often are you towed? These are fees levied against cars that park illegally or ignore rules that most people follow. If you continue to obey the law, you shouldn’t be worried.

Stay tuned for more towing news as we’ll be sure to notify you of changes coming up to the Jacksonville and St. Augustine area. And if you have questions about fees or costs you might face, give us a call today at 904-771-0790.

Tagged with: Price Of Towing, Towing Prices

How to Get Your Car Stuck Out of Sand

When you think of cars getting stuck in the environment, you think of them stuck in ditches, snow or mud. Here in Florida, especially at the beautiful beaches in St. Augustine and Jacksonville, we have another enemy to watch out for: sand.
Sand is everywhere in Florida, and it’s easy to get your car tires stuck in a sand dune. Especially at the beach with the changing tide, you can park your car, walk away and come back to find it up to the doors in sand and water.

So what can you do? There are not “sand tires’ like there are snow tires, and chains won’t help, so how can you get your car unstuck? (Besides calling us for a tow, that is!)

Dig Out The Tires

Your first step is to dig out the tires. If you don’t have a shovel, get ready to use your hands. You want to dig down until you can see the bottom of your tire, and you need to scoop out a trench in the direction you’re trying to drive out. If you have to reverse your car out, dig behind the tire. If you can drive it forward without landing in the water, dig in front of the tire.

Create Traction

Thin, smooth tires can be great for the road but terrible for getting out of a problem like this. Creating traction will help your tires drive forward on the loose surface instead of digging further into the ground. Creating traction can be done a few ways:

Let the air out of your tires to create a greater surface area. Now that you’ve dug the sand out around the tire, remove the caps from your tires and press the release to let about half of the air pressure out. If you’re using a tire gauge, around 18 psi should do it. With the air out, your tires will widen and have a better chance of driving on the sand.

Alternatively (or in addition to if you want to do your best), take the floor mats out of your car, flip them upside down so the rubber bottom is facing upwards and stick them under your tires to give it a better surface for traction. You can also do this other materials you might have on hand.

Start Your Engines

With your tires prepped and a clear surface to drive on, it’s time to hit the throttle! Hopefully you have someone there to help push while you press the gas. Countdown so they push while you press the gas pedal for maximum effect. And, I do mean press that pedal. Speed is required to get out of the sand, so floor it!

Don’t forget, if you’ve let the pressure out of your tires you need to fill them back up at a local gas station before driving too long. If you don’t, you could face serious damage to your tires or car.

ASAP Can Get Your Car Out Of Any Situation

Sand, snow, or mud, we’re experts at getting your vehicle out of safely and quickly.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Car Stuck, Stuck In Sand

What Happens To Impounded Cars In Florida?

Can’t find your car? It’s everyone’s worst fear. You park your car to go shopping or maybe on the street outside of your friend’s house for the night and come back to find it missing. Where has it gone?

It’s easy to miss parking signs, so there’s a chance you parked in a tow away zone or left your car in a time-sensitive parking spot. For example, parking in downtown Jacksonville is free after 6 PM, but parking there during the day will cost $.25 a minute.

If your car has been towed and impounded by the city, where has it gone and, more importantly, what will happen to it?

Finding Out Who Has It

Check out your surroundings for signs. Most illegal parking zones have “do not park” signs along with signs from the tow company itself. These identify the companies in charge of moving cars and should have contact information on them.

You can also call your city to find out if they’ve had it towed; this includes the police department or sheriff’s office. For example, this is the page on recovering vehicles from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

Lastly, you can always wait. Florida law requires that companies that store your vehicle send certified mail to the registered owner, the insurance company insuring the vehicle and all persons claiming a lien against the vehicle within seven business days.

Claiming Your Car

Now that you know where it is, getting your car back largely depends on why it was taken and by who. If it’s a regular towing company operating on behalf of a shopping center or property manager, you should pay your fine and be on your way.

Cars taken by the city of police department for infractions can be trickier. Depending on their reasons, getting your car back can be a process. If, for example, this whole time you parked legally but your car was located near a crime scene is now part of the investigation, you might be out of luck. If you just have some unpaid parking tickets, pay your bill!

Unclaimed Cars

So what happens to those that lose their car and never get it back? Florida law states that after 35 days from the time the vehicle is stored, the owner or operator of the storage space can sell the car. (It’s 35 days for cars three years or older, and 50 days for vehicles less than three years old.)

That means you have 35 days to get your car back before, and this is another part of the Florida law, the vehicle is sold in a public sale for cash. They’re part of the inventory that makes up local car auctions and police/government car auctions.

If you’re looking for an impounded car in Jacksonville or St. Augustine, Florida, be sure to check out our car auction inventory online to make sure it’s not there. Just visit the page and select the location nearest you.

Your Vehicle is Safe In Our Hands

We treat your car as if it was our own. ASAP Towing is a top-rated towing company in FL.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Impound, Impounded Car, towing

A New Outlook: Changing Your Windshield Wiper Blades

It’s the rainy season here in Florida, which means us Jacksonville and St. Augustine residents are getting daily, sometimes double, showers. These summer storms blow in, pour inches of water onto the Earth in minutes then seemingly blow away before you realize what happened.

All drivers know that rain greatly increases the risk of accidents, but there are ways to help prevent them from happening. Certain tires designed to handle water better, four-wheel drive cars and consumer products, like Rain-X, were created to help you tackle the elements and come out okay on the other side.

Most of those items, however, are optional extras. There’s only one item standard on all cars that help you handle the rain: windshield wipers.

The Anatomy Of A Wiper Blade

Windshield wipers are made up of a few parts, but it’s easiest to think of them in two main pieces: the arm connected to your car and the wiper blade that the arm holds and scrapes against your windshield.

Most cars are designed so that you replace the wiper blade instead of the entire assembly. The blades generally wear out after about six months, but during the rainy season of Florida you can’t wait that long. The more you use your wipers, the sooner they need to be replaced.

What To Look For In Old Wiper Blades

If the six month replacement time frame doesn’t keep you on schedule, it should be easy enough to notice when your wiper blades are in need of replacement. Signs you need to replace your windshield wiper blades include:

Skipping—the blade bouncing up and down as it moves across the screen.

They Take Care Of You, Do You Take Care Of Them?

Like taking care of yourself, preventative care is always best in these situations. If you don’t replace your windshield wipers before it’s too late, you’ll be calling ASAP Towing for emergency roadside assistance. As much as we want your business, let’s try and keep you safe and on the road.

Including windshield wipers in your oil change is an easy way to stay on top of your regular maintenance. But, that might not be soon enough. Keeping an eye out for the signs of used wiper blades we discussed earlier (skipping, streaking, splitting and squeaking) is the best way to ensure you’re replacing your blades on time. At the least, you should change them once a year.

Do yourself a favor and change your wiper blades before it’s too late. With the daily rain storms here in Florida, the risk for driving accidents is worse than ever.

ASAP Towing #1 Reputable Company in Jacksonville, FL

Property Managers And Towing: What You Need To Know

In addition to regular roadside assistance and broken-down tow calls, we offer on-call service to property managers of apartment communities, shopping malls and other privately owned businesses. Business owners need a way to clear illegally parked vehicles hindering their operations, and we provide 24-hour service to help.

Of course, there are rules and regulations when it comes to moving parked cars. You can’t just call us to tow any car you see on the street. You can read all of Florida’s parking statutes online, but here are the highlights:

Any owner or lessee of real property can cause any vehicle parked on their property without permission to be removed by a towing business without liability for the costs, storage or damage caused by removal.

The towing of that vehicle is subject to strict compliance with the following:

Notice of towing areas must be clearly posted in prominent places

The vehicle must be stored within a certain radius from its original (illegal) parking spot, and that storage site must be open during the same hours as the towing company that put it there.

The police must be notified about any car being towed.

If the owner of the vehicle finds the car in the process of being towed, the car can be returned to them upon payment of a service fee.

The Important Stuff

For a property manager looking for on private towing services, there are a few things to take away from this:

You need signs to notify potential parkers about the consequences.

You need a signed agreement with a local company.

You’re not responsible for costs associated with the tow.

The need for a local towing company comes from a restriction on how far you can tow the car. Based on the population of your county, a car can only be towed 10, 15 or 20 miles away from where it was illegally parked.

That’s why you need a local company with lots all over town to make sure they can legally comply with the rules. Luckily for you, ASAP Towing has five locations conveniently located in Jacksonville and St. Augustine to assist in any part of town.

As someone in charge of towing, you might also have heard about “24 hour tow stickers,” which are notices stuck to offending cars warning them of an impending tow. You’ll see in the Florida statues above that there is no legal requirement to use them, but some find it a harmless courtesy to do so. The choice is yours.

That might leave you with more questions, but we have an online FAQ to help answer some common questions, which you can find here. If you still have questions, give us a call to talk things over.

Tagged with: Private Property Towing, Tow Away Zone

Tips on Inspecting a Used Car

When buying a car, you always want to get the best deal possible. You’re spending thousands of dollars, and you want to get your money’s worth. But, when it comes to purchasing a used car, how can you make sure that happens?

A new car comes with all kinds of warranties and guarantees to put your mind at ease when making a decision, but used cars often come with more risk.

Instead of relying on a dealership’s promises, learn how to properly inspect a used car yourself.

Use A Mechanic

If you have a mechanic or garage you trust, ask them if they’ll do a pre-purchase car inspection. They should look the car over from top to bottom to accurately determine its condition and find any parts in disrepair for a minor cost.

To do this, whoever is selling the car you’re interested in needs to loan you the vehicle for a day to have it inspected. Most official used car dealerships won’t have a problem with this and neither should a regular person selling from their home. In fact, if they do have a problem with you taking the car for an inspection that should be a red flag.

Looking At The Car

If you don’t have the money for a mechanic or don’t have one to use, there are several aspects of the car you can look at yourself while it remains on the lot.

Tires—Are they all the same size/brand? How is the tread? Are some tires more worn down than the others? Replacing tires can be costly, and an uneven tread can mean an improper tire balance and rough ride. If you see any warning signs in the tires, discuss them with the seller to have them replace, fix or compensate you for the damage.

Brake discs—If you can see into the inner wheel and inspect the brake discs, look for signs of scoring and damage. Also listen for sounds coming from the brakes when test driving the car. Ask the seller when the last time those brakes were checked or replaced, and if it seems like it’s been awhile since then be sure to get them checked yourself.

Electronics—While not essential to the engine running, if you spend thousands of dollars on a car you want everything to work! Try all the lights, windows and other electronics in the vehicle to make sure they run properly.

Engine Sounds—Have the seller turn on the engine and rev it while you listen to the engine with the hood up. Any unusual hisses, knocks or ticks should be inspected.

Don’t forget, these tips are also a great way to inspect your own cars for signs of damage, and they’re also excellent ways to inspect a car at a vehicle auction (such as the ones ASAP Towing hosts every month in Jacksovnille, FL and St. Augustine, FL).

If you’re looking for a quality used car, be sure to check out our inventory first. You won’t be disappointed.

ASAP Towing #1 used car sales at our auctions

ASAP Towing offers great deals and lots of variety in our used car inventory.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Buying a Car, Used Car

What Types of Vehicles Need Specialty Towing?

If you’re trying to move an unusual vehicle, a specialty tow might be just the thing you need. While 99% of jobs we have are normal move-car-from-place-to-place jobs, every once in a while we get a more unusual assignment.
Vehicles can require specialty tows for numerous reasons, but all of them mean that this job isn’t as simple as hooking the chains on and driving to the nearest mechanic.
Sometimes it’s because of an unusual shape, such as an elongated limousine or tall monster truck, or sometimes it’s a boat or small aircraft that needs towing. Either way, a normal tow truck wouldn’t do the job.
If you’re reading this article, you’re most likely online trying to find out if you need a custom job like this for your needs. Let me save you some time—if you have to ask, you probably need it.
That being said, let’s explore some of the more common custom towing work we’ve done in the past.

Motorcycle Towing

Light weight, unusual body shape and prone to falling over—motorcycles often require a professional touch when being moved.
Through custom equipment, like special flatbed trailers build to compensate for motorcycle’s instability, we have the means to safely move your cargo wherever you need to go.

Boat Towing

While a marina that holds your boat will sometimes organize towing to a mechanic or other port for you, most require you arrange your own towing.
Unfortunately, a boat isn’t something you can just attach with a hitch to your truck. You’ll need a trailer, most of the time custom-fit to the boat’s hull, to properly move your boat. In addition to extra materials, boats quickly become an oversized-load, requiring further permits and towing procedures if you’re moving it down public roads. Moving a boat quickly adds up into a huge deal!
Since you don’t have to tow a boat often, it’s usually more cost-efficient to hire a professional service to move your boat inland.

Extra Safety

Sometimes you just don’t want to leave anything to chance when moving your valuable asset. We understand, and a specialty tow can provide the extra safety to set your mind at ease.
Here in Florida, there’s a huge antique car market, and those cars often require special care to move around the state from museum to museum or collector to collector. We keep preventative damage to a minimum by through proper hookups and ensuring the right clearance height for your vehicle.
Some cars that need to be moved can only be accessed from one angle, so an unusual approach might be needed. That’s where our experts come in.
If you think you qualify for a custom tow, give ASAP Towing a call at 904-771-0790 to discuss your needs and how we can help.

Finding a Credible Car Auction, Part 3

We’re continuing our series on finding credible car auctions and how to differentiate the good ones from scams. Auction cars can be a great way to save big on new and used cars, but knowing where to go for the deals is the first step.
In the first few parts of our series, we discussed how money and the cars up for sale can help validate a car auction company. It’s recommended you go back and read those articles, but here’s a quick synopsis:

All-cash dealers shouldn’t be an immediate red flag, but it could mean that car auction company is doing deals “under the table.” Do your research while looking at a company for other ways to pay and make sure you get a good vibe from the company.

Any reputable car auction should have their inventory online with VIN numbers posted so you can research the cars ahead of time. If they’re trying to hide the VIN numbers, it could mean those cars are stolen or complete junkers.

Now it’s time to look at the company itself.

The Car Auction Company

So far what we’ve looked at to avoid car scams has been parts of the auction process, but now we need to take a look at the car company itself.
Like any other store or business, look into ratings and reviews. Google has its reviews on business location pages, Yelp ranks businesses on customer comments, and businesses themselves most often have testimonials from previous customers on their website. All of these point to a legitimate business that people have worked with in the past.

Side note, companies aren’t against using reviews to fight their competitor. If you see a negative review for a company that otherwise looks good to you, see if another product or car dealer is being promoted in the review. If you see something like that, it’s probably another business attacking an otherwise good company.

You can also look at company accreditation. Things like Better Business Bureau (BBB) licenses and other state or county permits means that business is honest with its customers and trying to comply with local laws (if applicable).

Stay away from auction businesses that make you pay for a membership to their information. In addition to costing you a monthly fee, this plays into the fact that reputable car auction businesses should show you their inventory ahead of time. Putting their inventory behind a pay barrier could mean they have a lousy inventory.

Doing business with anyone is always a “leap of faith,” but you can do your research ahead of time to make sure you’re only working with the best. And if you’re looking for the best car auction dealership in Jacksonville or Saint Augustine, Florida, look no further than ASAP Towing where we hold 72 car auctions a year.

Give us a call at 904-771-0790 today or go online here to find out more.

ASAP Towing – Top Rated Car Auction Company

We have loads of inventory in our car auctions all over Northeast Florida

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Car Auction, Vehicle Auction

Finding A Credible Car Auction, Part 2

We’re taking a look at finding credible car auctions in a series of articles. To catch up, go back and read part 1.
As we discussed earlier, car auctions are a great way to buy your next used (and sometimes new!) car cheaper than you would get from a dealership. Despite this, car auctions are underused by people, so we’re helping you find a reputable car auction.
If you’re in Jacksonville or St. Augustine, Florida, save some time and check out the auctions we host each month!
We’re assuming you’ve gone online and found a list of different auctions in your area, probably searching “car auctions in (city).” Now it’s time to determine which ones are credible, quality auctions with a little due diligence.

In part one, we took a look at how the company handles money for their cars can help determine their validity. A simple phone call to the company ahead of time should tell you what kind of payments they accept, their payment policy and whether or not you should be worried.
Now let’s take a look at the cars themselves and what they can tell you about an auction.

The Cars

Where a car auction company gets it cars from can tell you a lot about the business hosting the event. For example, ASAP Towing’s car auction inventory ranges from abandoned and wrecked cars, repossessed vehicles for sale and police and private property impounds.
That might sound like a lot of different sources, but that’s really the beauty of the car auction. With a variety from so many different sources, car auctions have something for everyone.
If a car auction has police or government vehicles for sale, you can trust them to be a credible car dealer. Those types of vehicles are well maintained and only sold through reputable car auctioneers and dealers.

Abandoned and wrecked cars, at the other end of the spectrum, are not enough evidence to determine a car auction’s quality. That’s not to say an auction selling those cars is bad, it’s just not a definite sign of quality since anyone can sell those used cars.
Cars for sale at an auction should have their information available through the company before the auction so you can research VIN numbers and find the car history so you know exactly what you’re getting and where it came from. Hiding the VIN number of a car should be a red flag anywhere you try to buy a car as that could mean it was stolen.

For our car auctions, you can view a list of our inventory and find the vehicles’ VIN numbers online.
If you have any other questions about our vehicle inventory or auctions, feel free to also give us a call at 904-771-0790.

ASAP Towing is a reputable Car Auction Service

We have many locations in North Florida for car auctions. Look on those pages to find out more info.
Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Auction, Auto Auction, Car Auction, Vehicle Auction

Finding A Credible Car Auction, Part 1

We talk to people every day that are interested in buying cars at auction but just don’t know how to begin. Confusion on buying auction cars is to be understood since car auctions might be one of the least-exercised options people have when buying a car.
But, why do so few people explore car auctions as a means of purchasing their next car? It’s our belief there’s a lot of misinformation about car auctions paralyzing the public from taking action and exploring this underrated means of vehicle acquisition.
Mostly, people fear car auctions as scams full of junk cars that will break down the moment you drive them off the lot. That, my friend, is simply not true.

ASAP Towing hosts 72 car auctions per year in northeast Florida, one each month at our locations throughout Jacksonville and St. Augustine, so let us set a few things straight:

Car auctions provide a great place for people to pay only what they want to for their vehicle, generally person-to-person, instead of buying from a dealership. Instead of starting at an asking price of $20,000 and trying to work your way down with a salesman, you start at $0 and bid the maximum you want to pay for a car—that’s the beauty of a car auction. Sometimes your bid is the highest, sometimes it’s not, but you control the entire process and can end things quickly if you ever start to feel uncomfortable.

And, what would make you feel uncomfortable? There’s essentially two areas of a car auction that might make you question their validity: money handling and car quality. Everything else is just a minor detail.
To find the best credible car auction near you, let’s assume you’ve gone online and found a list of local car auctions (probably by Googling that very phrase). You now have a list of five or six different locations around town claiming to have the best car auction. Now we have to weed out the losers from the list.

The Money

You want assurance that your money will be handled securely, which can be done by any reputable auto auction company. A phone call should be enough to find out this information. A company that can’t answer a simple financing question about their auction over the phone shouldn’t be trusted.
From your local auction list, call each one and tell them you’re interested in bidding at their next auction, you just need to know what forms of payment are accepted and what the purchase rules are.

Most auctions require a down payment after accepting your bid and take the rest later. This rule varies from company to company, so be sure to find one with a policy you agree with.
If an auction is cash-only, it should send up a red flag. Sometimes cash-only means nothing, sometimes it means a company is trying to keep something hidden. Investigate further and trust your judgment if you come across one of these auctions.

Stay tuned for our next article where we discuss the quality of cars at an auction and how they help determine a credible car auction company.

ASAP Towing is a reputable Car Auction Service

We have many locations in North Florida for car auctions. Look on those pages to find out more info.
Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Car Auction, vehicle auction

Cheap Roadside Assistance You May Already Have

Being stranded on the road after a breakdown is a motorist’s worst nightmare, so having a roadside assistance program on call is important. Luckily, you might already have one and just don’t know it.
As we’ve covered before, credit card and cellphone companies offer emergency roadside assistance programs to customers at a deeply discounted price, but what other options are available to drivers?

Automakers

Now, before you skip over this because you think it only applies to new cars, you’re wrong. Most new and used cars come with a warranty that covers roadside assistance in the case of a breakdown.

Warranties differ from manufactures, but almost all of them include roadside assistance for cars up to a certain mileage, like 50,000 miles. While not as extensive as an AAA membership, warranty-provided roadside assistance typically includes locksmith services, gas delivery and towing within a certain range.

When you buy a used car, any available manufacture warranty transfers to you. For example, a 2013 Ford vehicle comes with 5-year or 60,000-mile coverage, whichever comes first. If you buy it used from a dealership in 2015 and it only has 40,000 miles on it, the original warranty is still good for another three years or 20,000 miles. Whichever measurement comes up first expires your warranty.

During that leftover warranty time available to you, all of the benefits available to the original owner are now yours, including their roadside assistance program. In keeping with our Ford example, this is a list of their available warranty services:

Towing

Battery Jump Start

lat Tire Change

Fuel Delivery

Lock Out Assistance

Insurance Companies

Automobile insurance is required by nearly every state, so you most likely have an insurance policy already. In addition to liability and collision insurance, they also offer several other programs to drivers including emergency roadside assistance.
Similar to cellphone companies that provide these programs, their roadside assistance normally costs extra and will most likely increase your premium slightly. That’s not always the case, so it’s worth calling and getting a quote from your company.

While some of the cheapest, bare-bones roadside programs can cost as little as $3 extra per month from an insurance company, more extensive coverage may not come at a deeply discounted price. For a program that covers more than simple services, like jump starts, tire changes and locksmith services, you might be better off going to a company that specifically focuses on roadside assistance plans.

When searching online for cheap roadside assistance programs, a lot of people forget that they have options outside of national chains. Local towing companies provide quicker service, competitive prices and are more familiar with your area.

If you’re looking for low priced roadside assistance in Jacksonville, Florida, call ASAP Towing at 904-771-0790 to get a quote on your plan.

ASAP Towing #1 Reputable Company in Jacksonville, FL

ASAP Towing offers top rated roadside assistance and towing in Florida. Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Insurance, roadside assistance

How Else to Get Free/Cheap Roadside Assistance

In a previous article, we discussed the Florida Road Rangers—a free service provided by the Florida Department of Transportation that responds to accidents along Florida highways. It’s a wonderful, helpful service provided at no cost to every motorist, but there’s one problem: it’s only in Florida.

How can an average motorist elsewhere find free or cheap towing services? There are actually a few ways, which we’ll be discussing this week.

Credit Card Benefits

You probably know your credit card has a points system or you might have signed up to get airline miles when you use it, but did you know that some cards include free roadside assistance?

American Express, for example, offers up to four roadside assistance service calls per year for its customers. Of course, like most things related to banks and credit cards there are some strings attached.

Programs like this often have a spending cap, something like $50, which can cover most tows but might leave you stuck with a minor bill if you need some heavy towing. These towing calls might also have a limit such as a 10-mile tow only.

While certainly not as comprehensible as an AAA membership, these programs will at least get you off the road and to a garage at relatively little cost. You might already have something like this, so contact your financial institution to find out more.

Like most of the other options on this list, these programs are not as comprehensive as an auto club membership like AAA. Most discount towing services like these come with limits on the distance they’ll tow your car or the amount of times you can call on their services per month. But, they’re better than no coverage or no protection in emergencies at all.

Find The Plan That Fits You

We’ve covered just a few ways to find discount or free towing plans available to you today, but are they right for you? Like everything else in life you get what you pay for, so it might be cheaper in the long run to pay a little more monthly for the service you need.

Something important to ask is if the plan covers the car or the driver. A plan that covers you, not your car, is usable in any vehicle. This can be important if you have a family and want to set up a plan for your kid. They’ll be protected in any vehicle anywhere if you get a plan based on them, not their car.

If you want to discuss your roadside service needs and find the right plan for you, call ASAP Towing today at 904-771-0790 and let our experts help figure out what fits you best.

ASAP Towing #1 Roadide Towing Company in Jacksonville, FL

How to Get Free Roadside Assistance in Florida

What started as a government program to manage vehicle accidents in construction zones has grown into a free roadside assistance program for all motorists on Florida roads. And, they’re always just a phone call away.

Driving through Florida, you might have seen the Road Rangers in florida in their well-equipped trucks patrolling for crashes. Beyond the car jacks, air compressor, various emergency fluids and flares, all Road Rangers are trained in first aid and CPR as well.

Road Rangers are a free service provided by the Florida Department of Transportation, and they respond to all types of incidents. While they constantly patrol the highways in different routes, Road Rangers are available by dialing *347, day and night.

Though a free service available to everyone, having your own emergency roadside assistance plan does have its benefits. Since the Road Rangers help everyone, counting on them for a quick fix in a tight situation will leave you disappointed in response times. A personal plan means you’re a higher priority for tow truck drivers and guaranteed service.

Road Rangers also come equipped with many, many tools, but they still can’t assist in every roadside assistance scenario. Private services can open locked automobile doors, for example, whereas Road Rangers are designed for lighter duties, like jumping cars and changing tires.

That’s not to say the Road Rangers aren’t an amazing service. Since their inception in 2000, they have responded to over 4.3 million in-need motorists with that number growing each day. The work they do, however, extends much farther than the specific accident to which they’re responding.

What most motorists don’t realize is that the Road Rangers help the masses with each incident. By helping clear debris from a crash and getting the broken-down vehicle back on the road quickly, traffic is cleared faster, allowing the motorists stuck in traffic to regain their mobility.

If you’re stuck on the side of the road and someone claiming they’re roadside assistance stops by without you specifically calling them, make sure you’re dealing with an authentic Road Ranger. Each individual contractor might have a different vehicle type, all official Road Rangers are white in color with the Road Rangers logo on the sides and rear of the vehicle.

If you find yourself stranded in northeast Florida, including St. Augustine, ASAP Towing is your go-to company for roadside assistance. We can either get you back on the road or take you to someone that can. Give us a call at 904-771-0790 for emergency 24 hour dispatch.

We Buy Junk Cars

If you need emergency roadside assistance, call ASAP Towing.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Road Rangers, roadside assistance

Decisions: Should I Tow My Car?

It’s a question every automobile owner will have to consider in their lifetime: should I tow my car or drive it? The circumstances around the question might change, for example you might be moving from one state to another or just need to get your car to a mechanic, but the answer is always the same—it depends.

Unfortunately, it depends is about the best answer that can be given to this question when we’re dealing with hypotheticals. Whether you should tow your car or drive it to its intended destination truly depends on the context of your situation.

Let’s look at a few common examples of a situation you might find yourself in and what the appropriate course of action should be:

Broken Car Needs To Get To Mechanic

This one is all-too common. Something’s wrong with your car, such as a vibration in the pedals or clanging noise from the engine, and you need to get it checked out by your trusted mechanic. The only problem is that mechanic is a good 15 miles away from your house.

In a situation like this, towing your car is probably the safest plan of action. This is because further driving will most likely cause your problem to worsen and your car will suffer more damage. If your foot was broken, you wouldn’t keep walking on it, right? Give your engine a break when it’s having problems and have it towed to the shop.

Moving Long Distances

When considering moving, there are a lot of variables that might affect your decision. For the sake of our discussion, let’s examine three: age, needs and distance.

Age: How old is your car? While a new car is almost begging you to take it on long, scenic drives, an old car might not have that many more miles left in its lifetime. Would you want to spend the last 100 miles your car has in it on a moving trip? If your car is pushing 100,000+ miles, you should seriously consider a tow. Even 75,000 miles should make you think about it.

Needs: Do you need your car to move your belongings? If you’re not hiring a moving company to pack and ship your goods in their giant trucks, you might simply need your car to make the trip and carry your items.

Distance: If you’re only moving across town, towing your car shouldn’t be necessary. Sure, you might end up putting 100+ miles on your car in one day going back and forth, but the gas money might be cheaper than the tow and your car won’t be hurt in the process. If you’re moving a city over and already have U-Haul truck you’re using to move your belongings, a tow might make more sense.

You can see already how much thought goes into a decision like this. At the end of the day, you just have to think about what’s the best course of action for your specific needs.

If you still have questions or problems deciding, ASAP Towing is more than happy to discuss your needs and find a car transportation solutionDecisions that works best for you. Call us today at (904) 771-0790.

We Buy Junk Cars

Questions You Should Ask Before Every Tow

Like so many of our scenarios, this one starts with you needing a tow. You know you need to call someone, but you’re in an unfamiliar area. How do you decide who to call?

Customer reviews provide excellent insight into a company, and ASAP Towing is one of the top rated towing companies in Jacksonville, but they can’t tell you everything you need to know to determine if you should give someone your business.

To more thoroughly investigate a questionable towing company, there revealing questions you should always ask. Let’s cover a few of those now:

"How much is a basic tow, and are there any additional costs I’ll face?"

Be efficient in your task to find the best company by weeding out the prospects with this direct question. Not only will you find out your costs, but you’ll determine their character while you’re at it.

Most tows commonly consist of a hook-up fee and travel fee based on the distance you’re being carried. If you ask the above question and find there are more fees than that, you’re most likely dealing with a bad company. If they explain the extra fees and you still have a gut feeling they’re not necessary, trust your instinct and walk away.

If the company has difficult telling you about their fees or can’t give you a rough idea of the costs you’ll face, you’re most likely talking to a bad company, too. How they answer the question can be more important than the question itself.

"Where are you towing my car?"

You won’t believe how many people are willing to sign away their car without knowing exactly where it’s going. Don’t be one of them by asking this question.

A good company will answer your question with another question: where would you like it to go? Tow companies should be able to take you where you want within their city limits. If you’re in an unfamiliar area and don’t know a good mechanic, they should also have a recommendation.

"Do you work with my insurance?"

Some automobile insurance includes tow service for emergencies. Prevent yourself from wasting money by only working with approved companies.

Major nationwide insurance companies should be accepted in any town you’re in, so if you have one ask around for a company that takes it. Reversely, call your insurance company first (this also applies to roadside assistance, like AAA) and ask them for a local company they recommend. Within minutes you’ll have a list of approved companies.

When determining a good, reputable towing company, trust your gut and ask the right question to get answers you need to make a decision. If you’re in need of one in northeast Florida, call ASAP Towing today so we can answer your questions and get you the help you need.

ASAP Towing has all the Answers

If you have any questions about towing, our experts are always ready to help.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Questions About Towing, Towing Questions

How to Recover an Impounded Car

Walking out to where you remember leaving your car but not finding it is one of the worst feelings in the world. If your car has been towed, it’s easy to feel lost and like you don’t know where to begin to get it back.

Recovering your car once it has been towed or impounded doesn’t have to be an intimidating process, but there are a few things you want to keep clear. Getting your car back as quickly and cheaply as possible is easy if you just remember a few key steps:

Locate Your Car

For some reason, someone has towed your car—but where? Finding out where your car has been taken is the first step to getting it back.

Depending on where you are, you can do this a few ways. In a major shopping center or public parking lot, there should be signs posted with the towing company in charge of the lot with contact information. If you’re anywhere else, you can call your local municipality and ask if they have record of your car.

Prepare to Pay

When you locate your car and contact the towing company holding it, be sure to ask about charges and fees. We’re trying to get out of this ordeal as cheaply as possible, so if it’s a daily fee you need to act fast. If they don’t have a daily fee, you have some breathing room.

While you also have them on the phone, be sure to ask about forms of payments. Some companies might require cash, cashier’s checks or plastic only. Find out ahead of showing up to the business so you come prepared.

Prove Your Identity

Releasing a car to someone is no simple process. To ensure correct ownership, you should expect to verify your identity in several ways.

VIN numbers, drivers’ licenses, proof of insurance, and license plate numbers are just some of the ways impound lots will identify drivers. What your lot requires might differ, so be sure to check with them on what you need to free your car.

After these easy steps, you’re at the most difficult part of the process: waiting. Unfortunately, these types of processes with lots of paperwork take a lot of time, and there’s no easy way to speed them up. Getting upset and angry with the company won’t help you, so just be polite and wait your turn like everyone else.

Most of all, realize that having your car impounded is not the end of the world. While you might be confused, upset and angry, your property is safe and can be easily returned to you.

As the premier tower of north Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Florida, check with ASAP Towing first to see if we have your car. Call us at 904-771-0790.

ASAP Towing #1 Reputable Company in Jacksonville, FL

What Happens When You Run Out of Gas?

Most anyone reading this will have seen their vehicle’s gas light, the light that comes on next to your fuel gauge when you’re running low, but have you actually ever run out of gas to the point where your car would not start?

While it’s not a disastrous situation, it is certainly an annoyance that literally stops you in your tracks. Unless you take advantage of a roadside fuel delivery program, it means you’re walking to the nearest gas station to find some fuel.

Damage To The Car

Completely running out of gas doesn’t cause any lasting problems for a vehicle, but it’s certainly not healthy for it. Exactly what happens to your car depends on what you drive.

Running out of gas with a diesel engine means you have to remove air which has been inadvertently pumped into the engine; on a gasoline-powered car, simply adding more gas normally gets the vehicle moving again.

Diesel engines have their fuel delivered by an injection pump, which pressurize the fuel and send it to the engine. When your tank goes dry, these pumps become full of air which makes it incredibly difficult for the system to pump the right amount of fuel accurately into the engine. First you have to remove the air from your system so that it has pure fuel in its veins, a process known as bleeding air.

Really, when you run out of gas the problems to your car are just time consuming. Air in your gas line may not cause you a $500 bill at the mechanic, but it will cost you the rest of your day. Even if you just have to walk down the road to get more gas, it’s going to rob you of a good attitude.

Always Gas Up

You wouldn’t go a week without eating, so don’t let your car go a week without filling up the tank. You never know when you’ll find yourself on a surprise journey that takes you away from gas stations. The general rule of thumb is to keep your tank always above one-fourth tank.

If you do find yourself stuck, there are a lot of fuel delivery options when you are out of gas on the side of the road. Triple A, for example, will bring you a small supply of gasoline to enable you to reach the nearest service station. At the most, they charge you the normal pump-price of gasoline at the time—not a bad deal at all.

For something more local to Jacksonville and north Florida, ASAP Towing offers roadside gas delivery to help anyone out that’s in need. If you find yourself running on empty, give us a call today!

ASAP Towing will be there when you need us

What Happens to Junk Cars?

One of the many services ASAP Towing provides is hauling off old junk cars. While some of those junkers get refurbished and sold as used cars, what happens to the rest? What happens to the rusted piles of scrap that no one wants?

Reborn Anew: Junk Cars Recycled

There’s a great recycling process for cars that are commonly referred to as end-of-life cars. Not only are parts salvaged for other cars, the leftover metal is recycled into product we use each and every day.

Special automotive dismantling facilities are the first stop for dead cars. There, the junk cars are picked through for parts that can be cleaned up and used in other cars. These parts are often referred to as re-manufactured or recycled parts.

These dismantling facilities also dispose of an engine’s unusable parts. Liquids in the engine, such as coolant and oil, cannot be resold or recycled, so while the car is being picked clean they drain the engine of these fluids and safely dispose of them.

Nonmetal items are also removed and recycled. Perhaps the best example of these kinds of parts are tires. The rubber from tires has many purposes, including rubber flooring for playgrounds and sports stadiums, shoes, roof shingles, floor mats, belts and many other products.

Lastly, at dismantling facilities the cars are crushed and flattened to transport to a car shredder. You might have seen a semi-truck rolling down the highway with a bed full of crushed cars cruising to the car’s final destination.

Car Shredders

Scrap metal is always in high demand, and recycled cars are a great source of that scrap. The massive machines that turn cars into metal shards are called car shredders.

Crushed cars are slowly fed into the machine where a series of tubes sort the metal into different piles. Mostly powered by a high voltage electric motor, a series of spinning hammers slams into the car to tear it apart. As the pieces of the car fall apart, they fall into the appropriate tubes underneath the shredder based on size, weight and other factors. The largest of these car shredders in the world eats 450 cars an hour.

From here, the scrap is checked, sorted and shipped across the world to be recycled into numerous products.

If you know of a car that’s obviously ready to be recycled, give ASAP Towing a call so we can remove the junk cars near you and get them started on their end-of-life process.

We Buy Junk Cars

If you need junk car removal of your old car, call ASAP Towing.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Junk Car Removal, Junk cars, We Buy Junk Cars

How Can We Can We Improve Your Towing Experience?

This week’s article is a little different. We’re going to discuss what works and what doesn’t, but more importantly we’re going to discuss how we can make it better.

Is it That Bad To Begin With?

Towing, as an experience, is not something anyone’s ever excited to talk about. Asking about your coworker’s weekend will never result in them saying “Oh, I had to get my car towed, so it was a really great weekend!” (Unless they’re being sarcastic, of course.)

The unfortunate downside to towing is that you hardly ever do it on your own terms. When you call a tow truck, 9 out of 10 times you’re doing it because your car isn’t working in some regard. You’re already going to be in a foul mood before you ever get on the phone to call for a tow.

We understand that and work to make sure your towing experience is easy and pleasant. We know we’re fighting an uphill battle, but we get where you’re coming from and work hard to make sure you get where you need to go.

How Towing Can Improve

I think the number one complaint everyone has about towing is the time it takes, so improving response time and hookup time is something we can always do a little better. Unfortunately, this mostly depends on traffic and position from where your car breaks down, neither of which can be easily predicted. We’re proud to say that ASAP Towing has some of the fastest response times in Jacksonville, though.

Safety is our number-one concern when it comes to towing, so anything we can do to keep towing safe is something we want to work on. Never forget that towing is a dangerous activity. You’re moving thousands of pounds of metal with chains that are under constant stress. Things can go very wrong very quickly.

ASAP Towing maintains every tow truck to make sure they’re in peak condition to prevent accidents from happening. We constantly replace and clean parts to make sure they’re working like new. We also have a wide range of tow trucks to make sure we have the right truck for the job.

If you have another way we can improve, call us today at 904-771-0790 so we can discuss your concerns. We greatly value our customer’s input and take every call seriously.

We’re always striving to be the best towing company in northeast Florida, and we know there’s always something else we can be doing to bring you the best towing experience possible.

Call ASAP Towing today discuss your towing needs and how we can help.

ASAP Towing is a quality towing company

Stay away from towing company scams that will try to rip you off. call a reputable towing company that’s been proven.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Jacksonville, towing, towing company

Features of a Tow Truck

You may think that tow trucks are just a souped-up versions of normal civilian trucks, but that’s just not true. Tow trucks are specially equipped and souped-up with heavy-duty parts to ensure they keep working through tough jobs.

This week we’re going to take a look at what separates a tow truck from a regular truck. This is a great way to know if a tow truck that’s assisting you is up to the job, and it can also serve as a checklist of things you need in a truck if you’re towing something at home.

Tow trucks normally have:

High number of gears

Heavy-duty cooling system

Special brakes

Efficient power

Gears

Essentially, the more gear choices you have the better you can match your engine’s power output in a towing situation. If you drive a car with a manual transmission, you’re probably familiar with gears and how they work with a car.

Tow trucks come with more gears to better match the power they need to move heavy vehicles. Tow trucks are already heavy vehicles, so extra gears allow them to more accurately use the engine’s power when moving themselves plus the extra two-tons your vehicle adds to their weight.

Cooling System

As you can imagine, moving two cars with one engine can be taxing. A normal radiator can only cool an engine so fast, so tow trucks are equipped with robust cooling systems to not only cool the engine but transmission and oil as well.

Cooling systems can give you a higher towing capacity by letting you work the engine harder, too. Let’s say your standard V8 engine lets you tow something up to 1,000 lbs. Equipped with a super cooling system, you can make the engine work a little harder knowing you’re able to keep it cool and working efficiently to increase your towing capacity up to 1,500 lbs.

Brakes

Brakes can quickly overheat and become ineffective, especially when trying to stop 4,000 lbs. of vehicles. Tow trucks need special brakes designed to stop the massive payload and keep working under tough conditions.

Tow trucks in hilly areas also need to worry about brakes failing when going downhill. Fortunately, there are automatic braking systems equipped in most tow trucks that are activated by the brake pedal to help keep downhill speed in check.

Power

Horsepower is the number one factor in determining tow capacity in a vehicle. Simply put, the more power a truck has the more it can tow.

The problem is that you can’t produce a lot of horsepower without burning a lot of fuel. Finding a balance between the two is crucial to not only towing power but maintaining a towing business. Using a company’s profits to fill up gas tanks all the time is literally burning away money to keep your business afloat—a poor business model.

ASAP Towing maintains a quality fleet of tow trucks to make sure we have the right equipment in working order for your job. Call us today to see what kind of truck we have that meets your needs.

ASAP Towing has the tools and trucks for any job

Roadside Safety Guidelines If You Break Down

When you’re caught on a busy road with a flat tire or dying engine, there’s a lot of things that can go wrong. That’s why this week we’re discussing roadside tips to keep you safe until the tow truck arrives.

Parking Your Car

Your first response should be to find a safe place to park your car. If you’re on the highway, this means the shoulder. (Try to make it to the right-side shoulder so you have an easier time merging back into traffic.) If you’re driving in a more residential neighborhood, you’re more likely going to end up coasting to a parking lot.

If you end up with a dead car in the middle of the road, don’t try to get out. Most likely traffic is going to pile up behind you as cars try to pass you. Wait until the traffic disappears to leave your vehicle.

Don’t Stand Next To Traffic

If your car ends up on the side of the road and you’re outside the vehicle examining or repairing it, never stand on the side close to traffic. Even if you think you have enough space between your car and the closest lane, drivers not paying attention could end up hitting you.

If you need to get on that dangerous side of your car to repair it, wait for a tow truck to move it to a safer location or try to move it farther away from the road. You can drive slowly on a flat tire to move your car farther away, or you can put the car in neutral and push it if the engine won’t start.

Alert Other Drivers

Letting other drivers know that your car isn’t working is a great way to make sure they safely move around you and your vehicle. A proper roadside assistance kit should have some means of communicating a broken vehicle.

Flags, flares and reflective triangles can mark your location in the event of an emergency and signal other drivers that you’re in need of help. Your vehicle’s hazard lights also help communicate your problem. This also lets tow trucks find you easier and alerts patrolling service vehicles that you’re in need of help.

The most important tool in your roadside emergency kit should be a charged cellphone so you can call for help. Make sure to keep ASAP Towing in your phone’s emergency contacts for when you need it: 904-771-0790

Where Do Auction Cars Come From?

Every time ASAP Towing hosts a car auction, people ask where the cars we auction off come from. Maybe it’s just one of the common misconceptions people have about car auctions, or maybe it’s the poor reputation car auctions have. Either way, we’re going to cover where those cars come from in this article.

Banks and Financial Institutions

You’d be surprised often cars in auctions don’t come from anything remotely related to the car business. Instead, a lot of cars sold at auction are from financial and other lending institutions. Commonly known as repo cars and repo vehicles, these are vehicles people have defaulted on and now these institutions are trying to quickly sell them to earn their money back.

These are great buys, and are generally a much higher quality than other vehicles you’ll find at car auctions. Sometimes banks host their own car auctions while other times these repo vehicles end up at a more public or city-wide car auction.

Car Dealerships

A lot of people trade in their used car when buying a new one, but that used car isn’t always sold by the dealership. More often than not, your trade in was sent to auction to garnish the highest price. Selling a car at auction can be cheaper than trying to fix up an older vehicle and make it presentable for a dealership.

These cars can range in quality, but are normally great buys. A lot of people plan on trading in their car, so they maintain it better to earn a higher value and discount on their new car.

Used car dealerships also send cars to auction, so be sure to check your facts before attending the auction. If you see a sign saying a vehicle is from a dealership, don’t just assume it is better quality than others.

Used car dealerships aren’t always distinguished from new car dealerships, but their quality is certainly different. Used cars are more likely to have problems and need maintenance over new cars. When you see a car from a dealership, make sure you find out which kind it is.

Find Out What’s At Your Auction

When you’re not sure what’s being sold at your local car auction, there’s an easy way to find out. You can call the business office of whomever is hosting the car auction and ask who has cosigned cars for the event you want to attend. If they pushback and refuse, you might have just saved yourself the headache of dealing with a dishonest car auction.

Just like most anything in life, you just need to do a little research before diving into a car auction. Call ASAP Towing to discuss our car auctions or find out where our cars sold at auction come from.

Tagged with: Auction, Car Auctions

Changing Your Own Tire

We’ve talked about the importance of roadside assistance services before and how to find a good one, but sometimes you just don’t want to wait. While calling an expert is the safest route, a little education on how to do it yourself couldn’t hurt.

A dead battery, leaking tire and other minor problems might be fixable yourself quicker than a truck could get to you, and most cars come equipped with the jack and other tools you’ll need to fix a flat yourself. It’s actually one of the few things you can do yourself without needing the specialized tools of a mechanic.

Changing Your Tire

If you feel your tire pop, try to find a safe spot on the road to pullover. If you just found your car with a flat tire one morning in your driveway, you’re already there. Since you’ll be using the jack to raise your car, you’ll want to be on a flat surface.

With your car’s tool kit to change tires, you should find a jack and a lug wrench usually in the trunk or back of your vehicle. You’ll use the wrench to loosen the bolts on the flat tire. Depending on your car, you might have to remove a hubcap first. Don’t completely remove the bolts, just loosen them.

With the lose wheel, use the jack to life the vehicle off the ground. Different models have different spots to place the jack, so consult your owner’s manual for specifics. Once you’re in the right spot, raise the car about six inches off the ground.

Once the car is raised, remove the flat tire and replace it with your spare. When you put on the new tire, make sure not to tighten the lug nuts too tightly until you have the car back on the ground.

When you have the car back on the ground and are tightening the wheel, you’ll want to tighten them in a specific order. Instead of moving in a circle, you want to tighten lug nuts across from each other. If you think of the lug nuts laid out on a clock, you’ll tighten 12 then 6, 9, then 3 and follow that pattern until you have them all secure.

Double Check with a Mechanic

At this point, you should be safe to drive. It’s almost always worth it to make your next stop a mechanic to have him look over your work. Besides making sure the tire is on tight, he’ll probably want to do a tire rotation to make sure the wheels are in alignment and riding properly.

But as I said earlier, the safest way to make sure your flat tire gets fixed is to leave it to an expert. It’s also dangerous to work on cars roadside, so sometimes a tow to a garage is the best way to go. Call ASAP Towing today so we can help you decide on the roadside assistance solution that fits you best.

ASAP Towing is a good towing company

Stay away from towing company scams that will try to rip you off. call a reputable towing company with a good reputation in Florida.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Changing Your Tire, roadside assistance, Tire Change

Guide to Parking in Downtown Jacksonville, FL

We get a lot of calls about towing cars in Downtown Jacksonville. It seems that a lot of people don’t know the rules, so let’s take a minute to discuss parking and how you can prevent getting a ticket, or even worse, being towed.

Why is it hard to park in Downtown?

Well, the truth is that it’s not. According to Downtown’s website, there are over 43,000 public parking spaces. (While you’re on their site, there’s a map of all the parking spots if you want a visual). Those 43,000 spaces are split up amongst garages, metered spaces and other forms of mass parking.

Why do people have such a problem with parking downtown?

When you drive around looking for a spot in Downtown and don’t find anything, it’s disheartening; you get frustrated and disillusioned thinking that there aren’t any spots. The truth is there may not be any parking near you, but there is parking nearby. Cities are designed to do some walking, so you might have to park farther away from your destination than you’re used to.

<>p>When people start to get frustrated, they park where they’re not supposed to and get a ticket. Maybe you’re in a rush, maybe you’re just tired of looking, for whatever reason you just want to park your car and be on your way. We’ve all been there, and maybe you got away with it. Most times you’ll come back to find a ticket. Remember, if you’re not paying to park in downtown, you’re parking illegally. It’s as simple as that.

The Costs of Parking Downtown

Most public parking in Downtown does cost something during business hours (8 AM to 6 PM) on weekdays. At least that’s when the meters are enforced. You can find parking garages and lots that are a private service not governed by the city, so those lots have different rules and might charge a different rate.

Parking meters in Jacksonville are 25 cents for 30 minutes and range from 30 minute meters to four-hour long spots. Trying to micromanage keeping the meter full of change while spending time in Downtown can be frustrating, so finding a garage you pay a flat fee per month or week can make life easier.

The good news is that metered spaces are free every weekday evening after 6 PM and on weekends and holidays. Going to Downtown off peak hours can save you the money and the hassle of worrying.

Hopefully now you have a better idea of how parking in Downtown works. If you have any questions, give ASAP Towing a call and we’ll clear them right up.

ASAP Towing is a quality towing company

Stay away from towing company scams that will try to rip you off. call a reputable towing company with a good reputation in Florida.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Jacksonville, Jacksonville Parking, Parking Downtown

Can Cheap Towing Be Good Towing?

When buying anything, if the deal seems too good to be true it almost always is. Towing is no different, and there are definitely some low cost towing companies in Jacksonville, FL that seem too good to be true. So, is cheap towing ever not a scam?

Quality towing at a decent price does exist, but for every one decent company there are ten more out that that would charge you hidden fees and rack up the bill. Recognizing a scam is the difference between a cheap towing scam and a good towing company is the best defense.

What To Know Before You Tow

If you remember one thing, remember to find out exactly what you’re paying for. Don’t sign anything without reading it, and talk with the tow driver about what kind of fees you might be facing. In a previous article we’ve discussed common fees, like a hook-up fee included in almost any tow, but some companies have fees they don’t tell you about.

For instance, some companies have a long-range mile charge. From the point of your car, they’ll tow you for 5 miles at a low rate; after those 5 miles, the rate shoots up. The driver will take you to a garage farther away if you leave the choice to him to rack up those miles and earn more on the tow.

You should also be wary of any tow truck that shows up at your stuck vehicle without you calling them. While drivers on the road do sometimes rescue stranded pedestrians, it’s best to be cautious. Known as bandit tow trucks, these drivers prey on unsuspecting victims in the hopes that they can get them to sign paperwork allowing them to charge lots of money while the driver is preoccupied with a crash or other issues.

Get A Price Beforehand

The easiest way to ensure there are no spikes in the bill you were expecting is to get an invoice or quote before the driver takes your car away. Once you determine the location where your car will be towed, any driver should be able to give you an estimate of what the tow will cost. Get it in writing so that he can’t surprise you with any charges at the end of your tow.

The only variable in this scenario might be time. If the towing company you’re working with measures time as a way to charge, for example it’s $25 per 30 minutes, then your quote might not be exactly right. Towing companies can do a lot of great things, but they still can’t predict traffic times.

Cheap, good towing does exist, but finding it means knowing how to protect yourself from scams. If you’re looking for towing in northeast Florida, ASAP Towing is a quality company that has your back. Call us to discuss how we charge for tows and get a quote today.

ASAP Towing is a quality towing company

Stay away from towing company scams that will try to rip you off. call a reputable towing company that’s been around.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: cheap towing, good towing

Tow Straps: An Amateur’s Best Friend for Towing

If you find yourself in need of a tow, odds are you’re going to be stuck there for some time. Until teleporters are invented, it just takes time for a tow truck driver to get to your car and save the day.

Fortunately, there’s a tool that can be easily kept in your emergency roadside assistance kit to help in this situation. (You do have one of those, don’t you?) It requires as much knowledge and expertise to use as a pair of jumper cables, but this nifty device can get you out of a ditch or sand instead: a tow strap.

A tow strap (or cable) is a thick, strong nylon strap with a hook at each end designed for quick, easy tows. These are not to be used at highway speeds or serious accidents could occur. Think of this as a band aid for your little towing problems; if it’s a serious problem, you probably need to call a towing company to get stiches.

First Step: Hook The Cars

Unlike the maneuvers you can pull with a towing winch, you’ll need a second car to help you. Much like jumper cables, one end of the tow strap will be connected to each car. Those hooks at either end connect to the mounting point of the car, generally found on the chassis at the front or rear. If your vehicle has a trailer hitch, there are most likely steel loops for a hook there as well. Your owner’s manual should have more information on where these points are and how to connect to them.

Second Step: Start Towing

Not too many steps here. Once you hook up the car, you’re ready to gently tug it out of wherever it’s stuck. Emphasis on gently.

Tips On Towing

While a tow strap is easy to use, there are some tips on using one correctly. The tow vehicle needs to slowly creep forward to first remove the slack for the tow strap. You might have to have one person hold the strap while the car inches forward to ensure the hooks stay put as the strap tightens.

Once the strap is tight, you can begin to put a little more power into it to move the stuck vehicle. Nothing slow and jerky, but slow increases of power will move the vehicle just fine. Be mindful of the speed and how close to becoming unstuck the other car is. If the car suddenly comes unstuck with enough momentum from the tow, it might slam into the tow vehicle.

A tow strap can be a great tool to keep in your car, but sometimes it is still best to call a professional when it comes to moving a car. ASAP Towing can tell you whether or not it’s a job you can do on your own, so give us a call to discuss your towing needs today.

Leave the Towing to the Professionals

What To Do If Someone Parked in My Parking Spot

Parking problems are a real concern in the city. In a popular enough part of town, people already have to walk a few blocks to a parking garage close to their home; there just simply isn’t enough room! It’s even more infuriating when you go to park in your spot and fine another car taking your place. What do you do?

While our example is a residential problem, this is also a business concern. Maybe you have a private spot in your office or you’re a small business with designated spots for your customers; when someone parks in a spot you’ve reserved, you need to do something about it.

The Aggressive Approach

Calling a towing company is a sure-proof method to get rid of a car, and most parking lots make this easy to do. There should be easy-to-spot signs all around the parking area with towing information for a company in charge of that lot. If you can’t find one, calling any towing company and asking them if they know who is in charge of the lot will get you the information they need.

The person will definitely have to pay a fine to reclaim their vehicle from the lot or impound, so this is a pretty extreme measure to exercise. This particular form of justice might be best served for repeat offenders. While you’re well within your right to do so, there is a friendlier approach.

The Friendlier Approach

If there is a private parking lot, there is a person that oversees it. If it’s your office lot, ask around for a supervisor for assistance. If it’s a parking garage, there’s most likely an attendant on site during normal business hours, or heavy parking times. Anyone with authority should have a plan on how to deal with a parking infringement.

Whether it’s a verbal warning, a boot (a tire-lock device which prevents vehicle movement), or a sticker on the windshield, that parking supervisor will communicate to the offender that they are not allowed to park there without charging them heavy fees. (Though they might decide to just tow the car. At least you tried!)

The good news is that either course of action will accomplish the goal of getting your parking spot back. We’re no stranger to parking infringements in north Florida, with heavily populated cities like Jacksonville and St. Augustine. Small cities with even smaller roads mixed with heavy tourism and population density means a lot of scare parking.

If you find someone in your parking spot, give ASAP Towing a call so that we can help you get it back.

How Much Does Towing Cost?

Before we dive into the subject of the cost of professional towing, let me just say that you’re not going to like the answer. In short, it just depends.

Like most any other service in the world, location, time, environment and tons of other variables are going to affect how much your tow costs. Here’s just a few examples of items that directly affect the cost of an average tow:

Time — How long will the tow driver spend on your car? Do you need a tow at one in the morning or normal business hours?

Vehicle Condition — If your car is stuck in the mud or wrapped around a telephone pole, removing it may be billed at an hourly rate.

Location — If you need a tow, try to breakdown by a towing company. It cuts down on the time they have to drive to you.

Already you can see the different factors that go into determining the cost of your tow.

Typical Towing Costs

There are a few items that’ll be on almost every towing bill. First, you’re probably going to have a base rate, also known as a hook-up fee. This industry standard can range from $20-$75 and just depends on the company. Some areas also have legal limits on towing fees, which puts a cap on what towing companies can charge.

Along with your hook-up fee, you’ll have a per-hour charge for the tow. Much like how a cab company charges you, this is going to be a few bucks for every mile they drive you. Depending on your towing distance, this could be as little as $10 and as much as $1,000. (If you start getting into the $100 and up ranges, talk to your tower about a flat fee for the distance to save some money.)

Depending on the make and weight of your vehicle, you might also see a heavy-duty vehicle charge. Each towing company will settle this on an individual basis, but if you have more than four wheels you’re probably going to get hit with this charge.

Roadside Assistance Benefits

When looking at the cost of towing, remember that some insurance companies and roadside assistance programs offer free or reduced-cost towing as part of the package. Inquire about a new plan or check your existing one for a compatible company that’ll save you money on emergency tows.

If you know you need a tow, call ASAP Towing so we can estimate your cost and work with you to get your car where it needs to be at a cost you can afford.

ASAP Towing is reliable and cheap unlike others

If you need your car towed, call ASAP towing and we’ll treat you and your car with respect.

When Is It Time To Sell Your Used Car?

Good things must come to an end, including a car you enjoy. No matter how much preventative care you put into it, your car will eventually kick the bucket. Every year your car survives is another year you don’t have to spend big bucks to buy another one, but you might pass the optimal time to sell your car.

There’s a perfect point in time where your car is slightly used, in good but not great condition and can command a great trade-in or asking price from someone that buys used cars; do you know when that is?

There’s an old rule-of-thumb that says, “If car payments for a year are cheaper than maintenance for your car for that year, it’s time to sell,” but the problem with that is that it’s so late in your car’s life, you’re probably trying to get rid of a junk car. Instead, we want to find a solution to sell your used car before it becomes a junker and can still earn you a fair price.

Use Miles as Milestones

It might seem like common sense, but a lot of people forget that miles basically equal your car’s age. At 200,000+ miles, you have a very worn-out car. That doesn’t mean it won’t work, but it’s definitely feeling the mileage in its old age.

There are a few milestones along the way which make for good points to try and sell your used car:

30-40,000 miles

60-70,000 miles

100,000 miles

These milestones equal major service points in your car’s life. At 30,000 miles, most new cars lose their warranty from the manufacture and make for great trade-ins. Still young enough to get a good price but used enough to where you really got your money’s worth from buying them in the first place. 70,000 miles is where you’re probably going to invest in new parts and fluids to keep your engine running smoothly. Selling before this point is going to save you from buying those replacement parts, but the extra miles will require you to discount the asking price. Finally, at 100,000 miles your preventative maintenance starts over as if you were at 0 miles. A lot of the earlier items you replaced or worked on now need to be fixed again, and the cycle continues.

By using these mile markers, you have three distinct points where you can sell your car early and still command a good asking price. With every passing mile, though, your car slowly loses its value until it becomes a junker. Fortunately, if your car gets to this point, people still buy junkers, ASAP Towing included. If you think your car is past its prime but you need to sell it, give us a call so we can talk about buying your junker.

Put your car in our hands and we’ll put cash in yours

If you want to sell your junk car, call ASAP Towing; they can get you some cash.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Car Sales, cash for junkers, Selling Your Car

Get to Know Your Car, Part 2

If you missed the first installment in the ‘Get to Know Your Car‘ series, we’re going to school to teach you some common car components. Why? Well, a car is a core tool we use every day; you should know how it works!

Now, you don’t need a degree in mechanical energy to understand everything we’re talking about, just a desire to know the ins and outs of your car. The idea here is that when your mechanic starts talking about you needing a new fuel cylinder, you’ll know what it does and why you need one.

In our first article, we touched over a few key engine parts, such as your alternator and combustion chamber. I highly recommend you go back and take a look at that one to play a little catchup.

Today, I thought we’d ease up on the engine parts and focus on the liquids that keep your car running. This assorted list of fluids should always be checked to ensure your car runs smoothly.

Engine oil might be the hardest working component on this list. Not only does it lubricate your engine’s parts to prevent grinding, it prevents dirt buildup, enhances fuel economy and protects certain systems. The reason you go through oil changes more than anything else with your car is that your oil works the hardest! Keeping this clean is crucial to the car’s continued life.

Transmission fluid is localized to your transmission and works solely in that part. Whether stick-shift or automatic, the transmission fluid keeps your gears from grinding each other to pieces. In an automatic, it also cools the transmission and helps supply power to the system.

Coolant does exactly what it sounds like—cools your engine. Also known as antifreeze (because it is chemically-altered to never freeze so you can run your car in cold climates), it circulates your engine to remove excess heat. The leftover heat from your engine’s internal combustion either goes out through your exhaust or through your radiator, and your coolant is what takes that heat from the engine to the radiator.

Brake fluid is hydraulic fluid, meaning it moves the components in your car’s break systems. Without it, your brakes don’t work. Like transmission fluid, it is found only in the braking system and should always be checked during a routine oil change.

Power steering fluid is another closed-system liquid, meaning it only works in the power steering section of your car. Luckily, this fluid almost never needs changing, just topping-off. If you start to hear creaks and groans out of your steering wheel, it might be time to pop the hood and check it out.

When any one of these goes wrongs, your car will most likely break down. If you suspect your car is having a problem with one of these, call us today so that we can help get you back on the road.

Put your towing in good hands

If you can’t get your car to start, call ASAP Towing; they may be able to help.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: car knowledge, car parts

Get to Know Your Car: Part 1

You’re at the shop with a broken car and a throbbing headache. You know the bill is going to be expensive judging by the steam pouring from underneath your hood, but you’re not sure why it costs $600 for a new coolant pump. While the mechanic explains to you why it costs so much, you’re still a little concerned you’re being ripped off.

What you’re thinking is nothing new, and you’re certainly not the only one to wonder if their mechanic is over-charging. While the industry has become firmly regulated and transparent in its dealings, mechanics still often fight the “shady-tree mechanic” images in the minds of people. No matter how many car certifications a mechanic might have, people will always wonder if their expensive car fix really had to cost that much.

However, I do not believe that it’s the mechanics fault that he is viewed in such a way; the problem lies with his customers not knowing enough about cars. While a mechanic can explain your engine problem as simply as he can, not knowing why that part of your car is so important makes it seem like he’s just making things up for your money!

So, let’s learn a few car keywords so that the next time you can hold your own in a conversation about your car.

Your alternator is the system that converts mechanical energy from your engine to electricity to power your accessories, such as your heated seats and lights. This is also responsible for keeping your battery charged.

A carburetor is what mixes air with your fuel to produce combustion, thus generating moment to propel your car forward. Carburetors are almost exclusively found in older cars as new cars use fuel-injection systems. This is good news, though, as fuel-injected cars often require less maintenance.

The car’s chassis is like your body’s skeleton. It’s the underlying frame of the car to which the engine and everything else are attached. Damaging or bending this in a car generally means it’ll never function properly again.

Your engine’s combustion chamber is where the fuel, air and spark plugs combine to power your car. Getting water in these or losing a tight seal on the chambers prevents combustion and kills your car until it’s fixed.

The exhaust manifold is simply the set of pipes and tubes that run exhaust from your engine to the exhaust system, removing it from your car.

Now, we haven’t covered every part in your car, but here we’re focusing on parts not commonly known. Hopefully by now you know what a spark plug is and why they cost so much to replace, but now you also know some of the more costly, obscure parts of your car. The idea here is to help you better understand what your mechanic is saying to you. Unfortunately, the best way to do that is a little studying!

Stay tuned for part two of the ‘Get to Know Your Car‘ series!

Tagged with: car knowledge, car parts

Car Not Starting? Try This First

That moment of dread when your car won’t start. Sure, you allow an extra five-ten minutes in your daily commute for traffic problems or breakfast stops, but you never allot extra time for car problems. It’s just so seemingly random, it’s not reasonable to check your car first thing in the morning every day to make sure it starts.

But here you are, in your driveway and your car won’t start, already running behind for your big meeting that morning. You’ve called the tow truck, but it’d be so much faster to get your car running yourself.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, try this first:

If your car is silent when you turn the key, it might just be a loose battery connection. Pop the hood and take a look at your battery to make sure everything is firmly connected. Alternatively, the cables might be corroded and just need a quick clean. Replacing or cleaning those cables can fix a corrosion problem.

If you hear your starter work but the engine won’t catch, it might be a belt problem. Inspect your engine’s timing belt to diagnose the problem. If it’s just chipped, frayed and cracked, you might be able to drive it to a mechanic for a fix. If it’s broken completely, you’re stuck at home.

If the car cranks but won’t start, you might just be out of fuel. Did you remember to fill up your car when the gas light came on? Try topping it off with some fuel from your garage and see if that fixes the problem.

If your car makes a clicking noise but won’t start, you probably have a dead battery. Ask a neighbor for a jump, or make good on your investment of a self-jumper kit (a device which stores enough electricity to jump your car without needing a second vehicle).

If you hear an electrical whirl when starting your car but nothing happens, your alternator might have given out. By electrical whirl, I mean the hum of electrical relays clicking together, but definitely not a mechanical sound from your engine. Alternator failures are also accompanied by the smell of burning wires, so your nose might be better able to identify this problem.

Alternators generally emit a growling, whining sound before dying, too. If something similar has been happening in your car before complete breakdown, you’re probably in need of professional help.

A faulty alternator and battery can be confusing to differentiate, but there’s a simple test; if a car won’t hold its charge despite a jump, it’s the alternator. The alternator is in charge of keeping your battery charged, so if it won’t hold a charge the alternator might be at fault. Of course, you could also just have an old battery.

Diagnosing a car’s problem involves examining a lot of symptoms, as you can tell, and there are a lot of options to what could be your problem. Leaving it to a professional tow service might be best.

Put your towing in good hands

If you can’t get your car to start, call ASAP Towing; they may be able to help.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: Breakdown, Car Trouble

Keys to Choosing a Reputable Towing Company

We’ve all heard the horror stories of towing scams involving huge fees befalling an unsuspecting victim: the ol’ “blind-sign,” for example, where they talk you into quickly signing an agreement saying they can charge you however much they want.

Knowing which towing companies have a good reputation and positive customer reviews will greatly reduce your stress in an accident. Instead of piling on the feeling of unease not knowing what to do with your wrecked car, if you’re in an accident you’ll have a trusted towing company to call.

Every towing company will tell you they’re a reputable company, though, so how do you determine who truly has an honest business? At the end of the day, like so many other aspects of life, it requires a certain amount of trust. You’ll never know how a company will perform until you call upon them, but we have a few tips to weed out the liars and scammers from the trustworthy towers out there.

Look for Good Customer Reviews

A good towing business will have no problem telling you about their clients. They know that word-of-mouth from other customers is much more likely to bring them more customers than any other advertising, so they want their past customers to talk!

Reputable towing companies should display customer reviews online or provide you with a reference to their services and abilities. If you notice a business doesn’t mention their customers or is unable to prove to you that other customers have had a positive experience, they’re probably trying to keep bad press silent. Always verify what a company tells you someone that’s previously worked with them!

Contracts with businesses are another way to determine reputable companies from bad ones. Since a lot of businesses and city centers have towing services on-call for quick towing, you can trust the companies they work with. A contract for continual service from one contract is one of the best reviews out there. For example, ASAP Towing is the official towing company of the Jacksonville Jaguars. An organization as large and as well funded as that could choose anyone, but they chose us, which speaks volumes about our company. Go Jags!

Only Work with Licensed and Insured Towing Companies

Another way to ensure you get the best service possible is to make sure the towing company you call is licensed and insured. Having those little pieces of paper may not seem like much, but it means they’re willing to standby you and their services if anything happens. You can also be sure they know what they’re doing if they have the proper certification.

Lastly, trust your instincts. If a company seems shady, don’t hesitate to hang up and find another. And, if you’re ever stuck in Jacksonville or St. Augustine, your instincts should tell you to call us for any towing needs.

Put your towing in good hands

Call ASAP towing and have North-east Florida’s most reputable towing company service your need.

Email ASAP Towing Or call us at (904) 771-0790

Tagged with: towing, towing company, towing scams

Heavy Haul Services Explained

Beyond taxes, traffic rules and regulations are easily one of the most governed aspects of our life. To ensure safety for the average motorist, states enforce speed limits, weight restrictions and a whole lot more to keep you safe on the road.

So, what happens when you need to bend the rules a little? It happens quite a lot in towing services when you have to haul something over the legal limit. Once you exceed that limit, you’re dealing with an oversize (or overweight) load. Oversized loads require special permits, extra fees and have limited access to routes as a consequence of their over-the-limit size.

Transporting an oversize load is commonly referred to as heavy hauling. Special trucks and trailers are designed with higher axel ratios axels, stronger bases and wider platforms just to accommodate this specific, oversized need.

More often than not, the truck hauling the oversized load must have a pilot car. Also known as a flag or escort car, it has signs and signals to alert drives about the above-average size.

Who needs heavy hauling?

When does your cargo become oversized? Like most road rules, it varies slightly in each state. For instance, in Florida, any truck larger than the following requires a permit:

Maximium width of 102”

Maximum height of 13’6”

Maximum length of ~41’ (varies on vehicle model

Weight is also a factor but varies so heavily on what you’re hauling that it’s easier just to say check with your local Department of Transportation to find out your limit.

So who really has cargo that big? A lot of professions require heavy hauling to move their oversized equipment across the country. With Jacksonville, FL being such a huge center of military activity, ASAP Towing has moved large equipment such as tanks, personnel carriers and water trucks for the military. A lot of shipments from the Jacksonville, FL shipyards need to be moved more inland, too.

What to look for in a heavy haul company

When it comes down to it, what your oversized load requires is really going to dictate the truck that moves it. You’ll either need a trailer or a certain dimension or a truck with a certain axle ratio to move its massive weight. Once you figure out what you need for the job, you’ll be able to limit your search by what company actually has the equipment you need. For example, ASAP Towing has a flat deck that fits 28’ up to 57’, so anything larger than that and we can’t help.

Heavy haul drivers should also be certified for such a job. They need to be able to handle your equipment and have access to where it needs to go. That’s why all ASAP drivers have TWIC and Jaxport credentials, as well as being certified by the Department of Transportation. We can do it all from pick-up, teardown and packing, including drayage and delivering to ports.

Leave Heavy Hauling to Us

Private Property Towing Services

To the majority of the public, tow trucks and the men that operate them are seen as the enemy. After a long day at the office or a quick-trip inside a store, the last thing you want to come out and find is your car chained to a tow truck, ready to be hauled away.

On the other side of that scenario is the person that called the tow truck to take your car away. Whether they are a business owner trying to clear illegally parked cars or a property manager enforcing code, there is a need for private towing services.

Why would I need to call a tow truck?

The vast majority of tow truck services in the private sector are related to parking, unsurprisingly. Just take a look at your local store’s parking lot to see how many rules there are to break resulting in your car being towed:

Parking in the fire lane

Enforcing handicap parking privileges

Complying with code enforcement

Removing improperly parked or abandoned cars

While parking your car might seem like the simplest part of driving, it’s a minefield for property owners. Keeping their parking lots functioning properly keeps customers coming to the store, so having a towing company on-call with fast response times can make or break a business.

What should I look for in a private towing company?

To determine what qualities you need in a towing company, evaluate your needs and make a list of what is most important to you. Near the top of that list should be fast response time, though. What good is a towing company if they can’t get rid of the car when you need it gone? They should work on your schedule, not you on theirs.

The cost of your partnership should be little-to-none, too. Since towing service costs are paid by the vehicle owners and drivers who are at fault, you should not have to pay the towing company. Exceptions to this rule might be abandoned cars with no one to take the bill and long-distance tows, so make sure to check with a towing company about any hidden fees they might have.

Signs to alert your customers about impending tows, such as “tow away zone” signs, are commonly provided by the towing company you partner with, too. Any companies you look seriously at working with should be able to provide signs to you. Beyond informing your customers, these signs often have contact information for the company should anyone find their car missing and need to find out if it was towed.

Fortunately for you, ASAP Towing has fast response times, free signs for your property and a Property Manager FAQ to help you make an informed decision on whether or not we meet your needs. Call us today at 904-771-7111 so we can answer your questions and help you manage your towing needs.